Reader letters Jan. 23

Jan 22, 2013

Sandy Hook loss is casualty of freedom

To the editor:

As someone who has lived in four different countries and traveled to several others over the last 11 years, I can tell you that no people who I have encountered continually demand that their government institutions solve every problem imaginable like Americans do.

From the dangers of electric garage doors to the eradication of bed bugs, there seems to be nothing that Washington isn’t charged with fixing.

Then, there are those horrific incidents of violence perpetrated by a mentally unstable person that sends many Americans into a tizzy and raises their collective voices for Washington to do something urgently. Cries of, “this can never happen again,” call out for new laws and measures to prevent future tragedies.

And so, we have the latest episode of hysterics over the tragedy that was the Sandy Hook Elementary School killings. To be sure, whenever any young children lose their lives it is a tragedy.

Whether they are in the classrooms of America’s schools, in cars on America’s streets, or collateral damage from an American drone strike over Pakistan, the loss of the young and innocent hits each of us where we live.

But, in the case of the reaction to the latest tragedy, the last thing Washington should do is pass any new gun control legislation including legislation banning so-called “assault rifles.”

A little perspective is needed to understand why. Less than 400 people a year are killed with rifles of all kinds. According to FBI numbers from 2005 to 2011, hammers and clubs killed more people than rifles in America.

Logically then, shouldn’t hammers and clubs be banned before rifles? At the very least, shouldn’t a license be required to own one?

Furthermore, why would anyone but construction contractors need to own sledge hammers? Are they not the hammer equivalent to an assault rifle? Could you imagine going to Lowes to purchase a hammer and having to undergo a background check and a seven day waiting period?

Yet, this is the conversation our leaders are having about rifles, which again, kill fewer people than hammers and clubs each year. But there is more.

America has not experienced a direct danger from a foreign adversary since the War of 1812 (One could argue that Pearl Harbor was about the Japanese only wanting to cripple our Pacific fleet to allow Her free rein over the islands of the Pacific Ocean).

Yet we have sent millions of young people into harm’s way to “defend” our freedom and have lost hundreds of thousands doing so. Were the lives of those young people less worthy than the youth lost at Sandy Hook? Of course not.

But, our leaders tell us that freedom has costs and the hundreds of thousands of young men and women that gave their lives “defending” our freedom is a large part of that cost.

So, I submit to you that those 20 children who lost their lives at Sandy Hook Elementary are also a part of the cost of defending freedom.

At the end of the day, individuals have a natural right to self-defense. They have a right to defend themselves against criminals, foreign invaders, and their own government if it becomes tyrannical enough.

Why should law-abiding citizens be asked to unilaterally disarm because a deranged individual used a gun to murder children? It is nonsensical.

Besides, we have tried prohibition before, first with booze in the 1920s and currently with drugs. It did not prevent people from getting a drink or a joint. Why would we think it would be different with guns?

Lastly, children die in car accidents, drown in bathtubs, and are poisoned by ingesting prescription drugs all the time. Does this warrant the banning of these items? Of course not, because they are vitally important to modern life just like the means to protect oneself is.

I was concerned when I read the article in the Jan. 18 issue by Dr. Robin Matthews about how CDC recommends that girls ages 11 or 12 receive the HPV vaccine.

As a Christian who is committed to purity, I feel that HPV vaccine can encourage sexual promiscuity.

It gives many girls the false idea that they can have sex and be protected from HPV.

The vaccine certainly doesn’t protect against all strains of HPV according to the article.

I believe in encouraging all kids to wait until marriage to have sex.

There are a number of young people who actually wait until marriage to have sex.

I had the privilege of attending a wedding where the pastor announced that both the bride and groom were virgins and that they stayed pure for each other.

Pap smears are actually often unnecessary for virgins (http://patientmodesty.org/virginandpapsmear.aspx).

A virgin woman who married a virgin man is at a very low risk for cervical cancer since 99 percent of cervical cancers are caused by HPV, a sexually transmitted disease.

The best way to prevent cervical cancer in future generations is to encourage all kids and teenagers to not engage in any kind of sexual activity until marriage.

We would see a big decrease in cervical cancer and other STDs if more people saved sex for marriage.

Misty Roberts

Waynesville

Comments (1)

Posted by: Charles Zimmerman | Jan 23, 2013 10:10

I am cerainly glad Mr. Jacobine was not one of my "teachers". While he expouses(exposes) right-wing propaganda, he chooses to not recognize this countries history of munnitions regulations or OUR secular republics responsability to equally protect its citizens. As was quite well pointed out in the latest Supreme Court decision regarding private gun(handgun) ownership by a person even though employed by a police department, not otherwise a member of any militia or armed military service, there have been laws concerning munnitions since before the revolution, whereby gunpowder & guns were not allowed in many communities. We the people most certainly have an inalienable or otherwise naturally inherent right to be safe and secure in OUR persons or family or property as was quite well established by the adoption of George Masons Virginia Declaration of rights which was then embraced & used by James Madison as the foundation of OUR Federal Bill of Rights. But! Positive actions based on declared rights must be balanced to fulfill OUR govt's obligations. To that end, there are a plethera of laws regulating munnitions ownership & use.

I have used/owned guns since the spring of 1956. But even before that I had killed many varmts. While using primarily 22 caliber guns & since about 1990 an SKS, I have killed most varmits using whatever was at hand including my own two feet. But I recognize full well the warnings in the shell boxes about how far a bullit would travel as my neighbors should not have to bear the cost of my negligence of use.

Mountaineer readers are encouraged to share their views on topics of concern in the community. Letters printed in the paper must not exceed 350 words, should not attack another individual or a business and should be about a timely topic of local interest.